2025 SEA Kicks Off

IDS’ 2025 Summer Enrichment Academy kicked off on Monday, June 2 with over 40 students enrolled from the Pine Belt and Gulf Coast regions. Each year, IDS hosts students at both the Long Beach and Hattiesburg campuses and provides a virtual option for students unable to attend in person for a full week of interactive workforce training that includes seminars on professionalism, self-advocacy, accommodations in the workplace, stress management, resume creation, and interviewing essentials. This year, the workshop’s activities are centered around a theme of Pokémon. In previous years, SEA has featured Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Disney, among others, as themes to lighten the atmosphere and keep students engaged throughout the intensive preparations for their upcoming summer internships.

After their week of interactive workforce training concludes, students participating in SEA are placed in paid summer internships to gain valuable real-world work experience. IDS is thankful for our campus and local business partners that host these students over the summer. This year, students in SEA will be working in a variety of fields including office administration, technology, animal care, education, food service, and many others.

IDS staff look forward to this exciting first week of student development and training all year long – and this week has not failed to impress! In just a few days, staff have finalized person centered plans, onboarded students with USM’s human resources, and discussed a multitude of workforce training essentials. Despite what may sound like intensive training, this week is also about having fun! Students have been treated to lunches courtesy of IDS, practiced mindfulness and relaxation techniques, and even gone on scavenger hunts – Pokémon style, of course.

We can’t wait to see what more excitement awaits our SEA student participants throughout their paid internships this summer! The Summer Enrichment Academy is made possible through a partnership with MDRS. For more information on SEA, contact Beth Robertson (Long Beach campus) at 228-214-3422 or beth.robertson@usm.edu, or Joseph King (Hattiesburg campus) at 601-266-4021 or joseph.a.king@usm.edu.